In defiance of the bad ankle injury he endured at Davis Cup just two weeks ago, Nole took to Facebook last Tuesday to assure fans that he would be competing at Monte Carlo and was sure he was ready to get back on the court. Despite dropping the first sets of his first two matches, Nole looked to be moving and playing just fine by the quarterfinals. Watching the finals, it became clear that there isn’t anyone on the ATP Tour right now that can consistently go toe to toe with Nole and his solid groundstrokes. Nadal’s reign ended and his streak was laid to rest as Nole blasted balls from the baseline exposing Nadal’s weakness. Coming away with a 6-2, 7-6 victory, Nole couldn’t have been happier to win the elusive Monte Carlo title.

“If somebody told me 10 days ago I’d be winning the trophy, I wouldn’t think it’s so realistic, to be honest. I went through pain, I went through a big challenge, mentally, physically, emotionally, and in the end it was getting better as the tournament was going on. It was a high mountain to climb for me, and I knew that. It was the biggest challenge that you can have on clay. But I managed to overcome it. I was ready to accept that challenge. I made the decision to play – and it was the best decision I’ve made in my life.”

- Novak Djokovic

Djokovic only seems to continue to improve steadily while collecting titles on his way. His groundstrokes are so clean, crisp and consistent — he’s finding so much success while using his Head YOUTEK Graphene Speed Pro, which begs the obvious question, why aren’t more touring players choosing the Head YOUTEK Graphene Speed Pro Racquet as their racquet of choice? (I personally can say, it’s currently one of my top 3 favorite racquets and I love it from the baseline.) But back to the topic at hand, what can we expect from Nole next? With a couple weeks of rest and practice before Roland Garros, only time will tell who will be named the King of the Clay in 2013!